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IFCC Newsletter 10

Introduction:

The end of 2013 has arrived and so it is time to take stock of another year of IFCC activity. There have been positive developments in many areas but the IFCC Regional Federations were especially active during the past twelve months.

Regional Focus:IFCC has five Regional Federations. Four of these held Regional Congresses during 2013. All of these were dynamic and positive about the future of laboratory medicine.

European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM):• EuroMedLab 2013 was held in Milan in May 2013 in the new convention centre• It was a huge success with almost 5000 registered delegates from >100 countries• The next EFLM Board was elected for the period 2014-15• Athens was chosen as the venue for EuroMedlab 2017• The comprehensive programme of work of EFLM is highlighted at www.efcclm.eu

African Federation of Clinical Chemistry (AFCC):• The third AFCC congress was held in Cape town in July 2013

• There was good representation from across Africa• The next AFCC Board was elected for the period 2014-15• IFCC ran workshops on quality management in association with the congress• The work of AFCC is described at www.afccafrica.org

Asian Pacific Federation of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (APFCB):• The APFCB Congress was held in Bali in October 2013 in a beautiful venue• A record number of delegates enjoyed an excellent scientific and social programme• The next APFCB Board was elected for the period 2014-2016• Jaipur in India was chosen as the venue for the next APFCB Congress• The outstanding work of APFCB is highlighted at www.apfcb.org

Latin American Confederation of Clinical Biochemistry (COLABIOCLI):• The IFCC Executive Board met representatives of COLABIOCLI in March 2013• COLABIOCLI and IFCC signed a formal agreement on future collaboration• The COLABIOCLI Congress was held in Lima in October 2013• A large and dynamic congress was enjoyed by all• The next COLABIOCLI Board was elected for the period 2014-15• Uruguay was selected as the venue for the 2017 COLABIOCLI congress• Information on COLABIOCLI activities may be found at www.colabiocli.com (Spanish)

Arab Federation of Clinical Biology (AFCB):• AFCB held its triennial congress in 2012 in Marrakech.

END OF YEAR REFLECTION -An Exciting Year at Regional Level

Nov-Dec 2013 issue

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013

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IFCC Newsletter 10The highlight of 2014 will be the 13th International Congress of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, which will be held as a satellite to theIFCC WorldLab congress in Istanbul in June 2014. (www.icplm.2014.org).

Task Force on Pharmacogenetics (TF-PG):TF-PG is currently chaired by Ron van Schaik (NL). During the past year TF-PG has:• Consulted with clinical users on its TPMT guideline The highlight of 2014 will be the 13th International Congress of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, which will be held as a satellite to theIFCC WorldLab congress in Istanbul in June 2014. (www.icplm.2014.org).

Task Force on Chronic Kidney Disease (TF-CKD):TF-CKD is a joint IFCC-WASPaLM group, which is co-chaired by Graham Jones (AU) and Flavio Alcantera (BR). During 2013 TF-CKDhas:• Developed a network of corresponding members with an interest in CKD• Surveyed manufacturers on the traceability of creatinine and cystatin C assays• Proposed a joint project with the Asian Forum for CKD (AFCKD)• Proposed recommendations for creatinine measurement in settings that are not IDMS alignedDuring 2014 TF-CKD will prepare a TF website containing support materials and present at a CKD symposium at IFCC WorldLab inIstanbul

Task Force on Implementation of HbA1c Standardisation (TF-HbA1c):TF-HbA1c is chaired by Garry John (UK). During the past year TF-HbA1c has:• Introduced two new laboratories to the IFCC network• Worked closely with WHO on a number of diabetes related projects• Worked with the International Diabetes Federation to develop a questionnaire• Worked with manufacturers on standardisation issuesDuring 2014 TF-HbA1c will continue to develop educational support in Asia, Russia and Latin America and it will refine acceptancecriteria with the IFCC Laboratory Network.

Task Force for Young Scientists (TF-YS):TF-YS is now chaired by Gabriel Ko (FR) who succeeded Damien Gruson (BE). During 2013 TF-YS has:• Changed TF membership and achieved greater geographical representation• Communicated regularly with a global network of YS• Held four face to face meeting with YS• Suggested ways to better involve YS in IFCC activities.During 2014 TF-YS will develop a ‘White Book’ project focussing on the future of laboratory medicine and the ways in which YS cancontribute.

Task Force on Clinical Applications of Cardiac Bio-markers (TF-CB):TF-CB is chaired by Jordi Ordonez (ES). The TF has strong representation from cardiologists and from manufacturers of cardiacbiomarker assays. During 2013 TF-CB has:• Reviewed formats for educational support material on cardiac biomarkers• Prepared two short documents on “Analytical issues on high-sensitive cardiac troponin assays” and “The use of serial cardiactroponin values”.During 2014 the TF will ensure the publication and promotion of the first two documents and commence work on thenext cardiac biomarker project.Task Force on Point of Care Testing (TF-PoCT):TF-POCT is chaired by Rosy Tirimacco (AU). During the past year TF-PoCT has:• Established a WG for “How should glucose meters be evaluated for critical care” • Developed a document on “Thinking of introducing PoCT -things to consider”• Established a PoCT collaborative group which includes EFLM, CLSI, AACC, AACB.During 2014 TF-PoCT will establish two new WG; develop a database of PoCT resources and hold a PoCT satellite meeting at IFCCWorldLab in Istanbul on the topic of “PoCT enabling patient-centred care” (www.ifcc.org). Task Force on the Impact of Laboratory Medicine on Clinical Management and Outcomes (TF-ICO):During 2013 TF-ICO was chaired by Mike Hallworth (UK). The TF has:• Established links with other groups interested in clinical outcomes research• Prepared a paper entitled “Demonstrating the value of laboratory medicine”During 2014 the chair of TF-ICO will present at the IFCC WorldLab congress in Istanbul and at the AACC congress in Chicago.

IFCC newsletter Nov-Dec 2013 p3

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IFCC Newsletter 10

NEWS FROM REGIONAL FEDERATIONS AND MEMBER SOCIETIES

THE AUSTRALASIAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTS (AACB)

Staying viable and relevant in difficult timesBY ANDREW ST JOHN AND PETER VERVAART

The Executive for the next two years for the Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB) was recently announced at the AACB Annual Scientific Meeting held on the Gold Coast, Queensland and is as follows:

President: Dr Peter VervaartVice President, Branches: Mr Bruno SonzaVice President, Education: Dr Ken SikarisVice President, SRAC: Ms Julie Ryan

Two years ago the outgoing and incoming Association Presidents wrote an article entitled “What about the next 50 years” which, on the occasion of the 50th Jubilee anniversary of the AACB, reviewed the status of the Association and set an agenda for the future. The incoming President (Peter Vervaart) and the previous President (Andrew St John) have repeated the process.So what have we achieved in the last two years? First and foremost the

Association remains a viable and active organisation despite the increasing challenges, of which more later in this article. While long-time members retire, we continue to see new younger members of the profession join up such that our paid-up membership remains about 1000 members. Branches in most states continue to meet regularly on a monthly basis and while attendances vary there remains a core membership which continues to support AACB activities at a local level. This is almost unique amongst the professional bodies in Pathology; it continues to be the “bread and butter” of the Association’s activities and remains a significant achievement. The incoming President of 2 years ago identified some key activities on which to focus our resources. The first of these was the harmonisation of reference intervals for the commonly measured analytes. While we have not yet quite achieved that goal, progress has been significant, and it remains an attainable goal in the next two years. Many members have contributed to this initiative. But thanks in particular go to Jill Tate for her leadership of this initiative, and while Jill has just stepped down from her role as Vice-President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, she will not be disappearing into the sunset and will continue to chair one of the major committees associated with the harmonisation effort.A second priority over the last 2 years has been issues related to the workforce including the funding of training positions for senior scientists. Unfortunately this has not yet occurred and will remain difficult to achieve in the current economic climate. However progress on a related issue has been substantial, namely the development of a training program for scientists within the RCPA’s Faculty of Science. Tony Badrick as Chair of the Faculty of Science has led this initiative and next year, the first appropriately qualified scientists will be inducted into the training program. An issue that remains to be resolved is the role of existing Fellowship qualifications including the FAACB, but of note is the discontinuance of the Fellowship of the Human Genetics Society of Australia (FHGSA) and the agreement that HGSA will adopt the genetics training program within the Faculty of Science. Progress with other workforce related issues has not been so good. A Workforce conference of all interested parties in June 2012 adopted the key recommendations of the Human Capital Alliance report and this included the deployment in laboratories of previously approved Competency Based Standards (CBS) and Scope of Practice documents. Yet adoption of these has been slow to non-existent. A funding application to government to assist with this task was unsuccessful but one of the “sunset” activities of the outgoing President, together with Tony Badrick, is to continue to promote the use of CBS. The adoption of CBS is seen as essential if we want to avoid indiscriminate cutting of positions throughout the pathology workforce which are likely if reductions in pathology funding continue to occur. The reduction in pathology funding through changes to the Australian Medicare Benefits Schedule has become a key challenge in the last 2 years and will remain so for the foreseeable future. For example it continues to impact on the budgets of IVD suppliers such that they have highlighted the difficulties of supporting AACB activities such as a significant presence at our annual scientific meeting. Thus discussions have taken place on the possible rationalisation of professional conferences and while no major changes have yet occurred, there will need to be a continuing dialogue between AACB Council and IVD companies about future meetings, including their location and how they are supported. For the moment we can thank our corporate colleagues for the substantial support they have just given to the recent Gold Coast meeting, thus ensuring its scientific and financial success.


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IFCC Newsletter 10

Another challenge to our finances which has emerged recently is that our activities on behalf of the RCPA-QAP have been reduced and consequently our consultation fee will also be less. Absorbing all these financial challenges in the last 2 years has not been easy but we have managed to meet our goal in 2012-13 of delivering a small surplus and the aim is to break even in this financial year. Helping us deliver those financial goals has been the completion of our office move to Sydney, the purchase of reliable membership database software, the change from a printed Clinical Biochemists Newsletter to an electronic version and the integration of our office, and soon conference management, activities with HGSA where we share a financial resource. Seeking other income sources is clearly necessary for the future and we cannot expect IVD suppliers to support special initiatives as we might have done in the past. This year we were successful in obtaining grants from the Australian Quality Use of Pathology Program for the Harmonisation project, the Australian Point of Care Practitioners Network (APPN) and the possibility of funding for Lab Tests Online (LTOau). So what is in store for the next 2 years? Clearly we need to complete our strategic initiatives including harmonisation and those related to the workforce. Also as we have indicated above, the financial climate will remain difficult and this will drive a number of different

actions.

For example next year the Annual Scientific Meeting will be reduced to a three

day meeting without a stand-alone QAP Update day, to be held in Adelaide in October. It is likely that the three day scientific program, including an industry exhibition, will be followed by a fourth day which will be made available for workshops and the possibility of ‘user group’ meetings for industry. A likely scientific workshop for next year will be one that deals with initiatives that ‘Promote the Value of Pathology’ in support of the ‘Know Pathology, Know Healthcare’ campaign which was recently presented to our members at the Gold Coast meeting. A component of that campaign is to assemble and promote health economic data that demonstrates the value of pathology and to that end our former President has recently called for interested members to join with him in a working group to address these economic issues.We also need to consider changes to what might be called the Governance of the Association. Council is considering moving the AACB from its traditional not for profit (NFP) association structure to a more modern and streamlined structure. However we would like any possible changes to be ‘evidence based’ so an external reviewer will undertake this activity and determine recommendations on what the most streamlined corporate structure would be for the AACB in the current and future environment. A key part of this initiative will be a facilitated strategic planning session during our next Council meeting. In addition we will review our Constitution and By-laws against ‘best practice’ in the NFP professional association sector and make recommendations to Council on possible changes. Any proposed changes will then need to be discussed with the broader membership and put to a vote.Our goals as always over the next two years will be to maximise the benefits for our members and to do that within our financial means. We also need to act in collaboration with other professional groups. While the AACB is not directly represented, the advantages of such collaboration have been seen through the organisation that has emerged to run and finance the Value of Pathology Campaign. Since the pressures on the financing of pathology are unlikely to reduce we wonder whether there is scope for greater collaboration through the formation of a ‘Pathology Forum’ which could be more commercial/industry focused and which could potentially involve companies (IVD Australia), regulators (TGA & NATA), funders (Medicare/DoHA) and the profession (NCOPP, Pathology Australia, PAC). However we also need to look to the longer term and in doing so, recognise that technical and scientific developments are blurring the edges between the traditional disciplines. While we are not advocating that such disciplines should disappear, we do believe there is a need for a broader based laboratory medicine organisation within which all laboratory medicine professionals might reside. The AACB has led a number of initiatives which are aimed broadly at laboratory medicine rather than just clinical biochemistry. These include Lab Tests Online (LTOau) and the Australian Point of Care Testing Practitioners Network (APPN). In 2014 we will start another laboratory medicine wide initiative through the development of a ‘Management of Laboratory Services’ unit that will be offered as part of a Masters in Health Management course in the UNSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine. The broader role of representing laboratory medicine has been recognised by some of our “sister” organisations such as the UK Association of Clinical Biochemists (ACB) and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry who have both changed their organisational titles to include the words Laboratory Medicine. The circumstances of both these organisations are substantially different to those operating here in Australia, such that the ACB for example includes clinical immunology and microbiology scientists amongst its members. Despite these different circumstances we believe that in the longer term, various pressures including financial ones are likely to require the formation or adoption of a larger professional body in Australia which represents all laboratory medicine professionals, a development which must be considered in any future plans.

This is an edited version of an article which will also appear in the AACB publication: The Clinical Biochemist Newsletter.


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IFCC Newsletter 10

CROATIAN SOCIETY OF MEDICAL BIOCHEMISTRY AND LABORATORY MEDICINE (CSMBLM)

CSMBLM celebrates its 60th AnniversaryBY JASENKA WAGNER

CHAIR CSMBLM COMMITTEE FOR INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATION

This year,the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CSMBLM) is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The celebration was held on 4th of October 2013 in Zagreb and was organized under the auspices of the President of Republic of Croatia, Prof. dr. Ivo Josipović. The gala party at the hotel Westin was attended by 250 members of our society as well as by honoured guests and dear friends from abroad: Victor Blaton, Gabor Kovacs, Simone Zerah and Giuseppe Lippi. A special greeting to all the members of the CSMBLM was delivered by Mr. Milan Bandić, the Major of the city of Zagreb.

During the ceremony a monograph in honour of this big anniversary, edited by prof. Ana-Maria Simundic, was presented to attendees. Three distinguished international colleagues were promoted into the honourary members of our Society: Andrea Rita

Horvath, Simone Zerah and Giuseppe Lippi. This was our way to thank them for their dedication and enthusiasm in the promotion of the laboratory medicine as a

profession worldwide. Along with the international experts, respected members of our society were also honoured for their long-term work and dedication: Dubravka Juretić,

Slavica Dodig, Branka Kunović and Aida Nazor.

THE GREEK SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHEMISTRY

The work and contribution to clinical diagnosis of the in vitro clinical labs of the greek public hospitals: great success of 2013 seminars in Athens

BY DR. A. GRIGORATOU, MEMBER OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE OF GREEK SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHEMISTRY - CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY

Considering the youth unemployment rates of our country and after the proposal of the Young Scientists Committee, a free of charge series of seminars was held in Athens, from January to July 2013. The seminars

were dedicated on the work and contribution to clinical diagnosis of the in vitro clinical labs of the Greek public hospital. The first two days were referred to the Biochemistry Department and included lectures on biochemical analysers, liver and renal function tests, enzyme tests diagnosis, disorders of carbohydrate and lipids metabolism, disorders of metal ions metabolism, abnormalities of thyroid function, steroid, hypothalamic and pituitary hormones, tumour markers in neoplastic diseases, therapeutic drug monitoring and pharmacogenomis by Dr. Christine Psachoulia-Christodouli, Effie Botoula, Angeliki Melpidou and Dr. Andriani Grigoratou (Evangelismos Hospital, Athens).

President of the CSMBLM, Prof. Ana-Maria Šimundić, presents honorary membership to Prof. Giuseppe Lippi (Italy)

Distinguished guests: Victor Blaton (Belgium), Gábor Kovács (Hungary)

and Simone Zerah (France)

President of the CSMBLM, Prof. Ana-Maria Šimundic presents honorary membership to dr. Simone Zerah (France)

Editor of the Monograph of the Society (Ana-Maria Simundic) with co-authors

(from left to right: Nora Nikolac, Lora Dukic, Renata Topic Zrinski, Jasenka Wagner,

Ivana Cepelak, Ana Stavljenic Rukavina, Zlata Flegar Mestric, Elizabeta Topic, Sanja Mandic,

Olga Borcic and Dubravka Juretic)


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IFCC Newsletter 10

Theophilos Athanasiadis, Diamanto Kouniaki, Catherine Papageorgiou, Dr. Sylvia Solakidi, Dr. Catherine Psarra (Evangelismos and Laiko Hospital, Athens) referred to the histocompatibility complex, the protein tests, the autoimmune antibodies, the flow cytometry in the Immunology Lab. The Blood-Bank department was presented by Dr. Panagiota Spyropoulou, Dr. Areti Kolokytha, John Vlyssidis (Tzaneio Hospital, Piraeus) who lectured on immunohematology, blood-born diseases and hematology analysers. Dr. Chryssa Alepi, Euthymia Pavlou (Tzaneio Hospital, Piraeus and Hippocration Hospital, Athens) and Prof. Basil Spyropoulos (Athens Technological Educational Institute TEI) spoke on the tests of the Hematology Lab, bone marrow examination, general blood testing and hemostasis. Irene Anagnostopoulou (Tzaneio Hospital, Piraeus) explained the techniques and tests used in the Cytopathology Lab for the examination of virtually all body organs and tissues. Pathology Lab was presented by Olympia Tzaida (Metaxa Hospital, Piraeus). Athina Argyropoulou provided the introduction on the Microbiology Lab topics and analytical tests and Irene Grispou spoke on the molecular microbiology division, the detection and identification of specific pathogens (Evangelismos Hospital, Athens).It was a scientifically interesting seminar that offered us the opportunity to meet with our high level, yet unemployed, young colleagues.

The 11th Greek Congress of Clinical Chemistry BY DR ALEXANDER HALIASSOS

THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF GSCC-CB

The 11th Greek Congress of Clinical Chemistry, held on 11 and 12 October 2013 under the auspices of the University of Thessaly, in the premises of the University at Volos, concluded late in the afternoon of last Saturday.This important regional annual meeting was organized by the Greek Society of Clinical Chemistry - Clinical Biochemistry (GSCC-CB), with the scientific support of the Biochemistry Department of the Hospital of Volos, under the supervision of Dr. Elias Togousidis, Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Director of the Biochemistry laboratory of the “Achillopouleio” General Hospital of Volos.At the opening ceremony was awarded Dr Konstandinos Hatzis, the first Director of the Biochemistry laboratory of the "Achillopouleio" General Hospital of Volos for his contribution to the field of Clinical Chemistry, who although retired for some years, still

actively participates in scientific events.The conference was honored by the presence of the Member of the Executive Board and Treasurer of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), Dr Bernard Gouget, who made the opening presentation entitled: “Trends in healthcare: challenges and opportunities for IFCC and laboratory medicine” developing the role of IFCC in the advancement of Laboratory Medicine and the improvement of health care, but also participated in a round table entitled: “on the way to the Accreditation of the Clinical laboratory” with another presentation with subject: “Improving patient safety through medical laboratory accreditation”. In the same Round Table where presented, the topic of Proficiency Testing Schemes (the ex. External Quality Control programs) from the administrator of the ‘ESEAP - The Greek Proficiency Testing Scheme for Clinical

Laboratories’ Dr. Otto Panagiotakis, and the efforts and accomplishments of Biochemistry Laboratory of the “Achillopouleio” General Hospital of Volos towards his imminent accreditation .Noteworthy was the presence of the associate dean and professor of the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Thessaly, Dimitris Kouretas who presented during the opening ceremony the subject "Nutrition: Lessons from the past to the future” and contributed substantially to the organization of the conference generously offering the Amphitheater of the University for the Congress’s sessions, as also as the Library for the opening reception.


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IFCC Newsletter 10

ROMANIAN SOCIETY OF LABORATORY MEDICINE (SRML)

The SRML elects the new Executive board for 2013-2015BY CAMELIA GRIGORE, PRESIDENT

The Romanian Society of Laboratory Medicine announce the new Executive Board, for 2013-2015, elected during the 20th National Congress of the Romanian Society of

Laboratory Medicine,11 october 2013

President: Dr. Camelia Grigore, MD, EuSpLM ([email protected])Vice-President: Dr Cristina Florescu, MD, EuSpLM ([email protected])Secretary: Prof. Dr. Gabriela Bancescu Tresurer: Dr. Biol. Alexandra Dana Maria PanaitPast President: Conf. Dr Manole CojocaruPresident of Honour: Prof. Dr. Mircea Cucuianu Member of Honour: Prof. Dr. Gheorghe BengaNational Representative IFCC: Dr .Camelia Grigore [email protected] Representative EFLM: Dr Cristina Florescu [email protected]

THE COLEGIO DE MICROBIÓLOGOS Y QUÍMICOS CLÍNICOS DE HONDURAS

The Colegio de Microbiólogos elected the new Executive Board for 2013-2015

BY MIRIAM AGUILERA

SECRETARIA JUNTA DIRECTIVA/CMQCH

The Colegio de Microbiólogos y Químicos Clínicos de Honduras announces the new Executive Board, for 2013-2015, elected in Tegucigalpa in September 2013:

President: Dra. Martha Alicia ValerianoSecretary Dra. Miriam AguileraTreasurer Dra. Oswaldina MejíaFiscal Dra. Doris AldanaVocal I Dr. Mario MoncadaVocal II Dra. Dilcia GómezVocal III Dra. Jessica Pinto

THE SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY CONFERENCE- Part of UNIPATH 2014 “ Unifying pathology and laboratory medicine in the era of P4 medicine”

The SAACB annual conference will take place during UNIPATH 2014 on 19-21 September 2014 at the CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. This will be part of the 54th annual conference of the Federation of South African Societies of Pathology. The theme of the conference is Unifying Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the era of P4 Medicine. P4 Medicine is being increasingly embraced within the ethos of medicine, especially diagnostic laboratory medicine. P4 Medicine is a

term coined by biologist Leroy Hood and is short for "Predictive, Preventive, Personalized, and Participatory Medicine." The premise of P4 Medicine is that, over the next 20 years, medical practice will be revolutionized by biotechnology, to manage a person's health,instead of managing a patient's disease.The SAACB looks forward to welcom-ing you to what promises to be an attractive and highly stimulating scientific pro-gramme. For more information visit: www.pathconference.com


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IFCC Newsletter 10

POLISH SOCIETY OF LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS

18TH CONGRESS OF THE POLISH SOCIETY OF LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS WARSAW, POLANDBY GRAZYNA SYPNIEWSKA, PROFESSOR

NR OF POLISH SOCIETY AT IFCC

The Polish Society of Laboratory Diagnostics organized its 18th Congress at the Gromada Convention Centre in Warsaw from 15 to 18 September 2013. The congress was attended by 1100 delegates from all over the country. The congress incorporated laboratory medicine scientists, medical doctors and pharmacists and 58 different IVD companies presented in the POLMEDLAB 2013 Exhibition, from all fields of laboratory medicine, covering all the latest diagnostic and research technology pertaining to haematology, virology, immunology, epidemiology, clinical chemistry, pharmacology, forensic medicine, anatomical pathology/ histopathology, cytology, cytogenetics, molecular

biology, laboratory management, quality assurance, public health, and any other related laboratory medicine fields. Three publishers in medical sciences took part in the exhibition

as well.There were opportunities to attend the extensive program including 3 plenary lectures, 18 sessions with lectures and short presentations, 3 poster sessions and workshops. Additionally several company workshops were organized. Altogether lectures were given by almost 100 lecturers. As a Honorary Guest the Society invited Professor Howard Morris, IFCC Vice President, who gave a short speach during the Opening Ceremony and the

next day presented a talk on „Vitamin D status and osteoporosis”. A varied social program including Welcome Reception, a Gala Dinner followed by visiting the Copernicus Center of Science and Farewell Reception was also available.

MEXICO NATIONAL FEDERATION OF CLINICAL CHEMISTS

THE CONAQUIC NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD FOR 2013-2015 BY DIEGO DE JESUS ZAMORA GONZÁLEZ

CONAQUIC PRESIDENT

During the conference of Aguascalientes, held by the National Federation of Clinical Chemists CONAQUIC A.C. which I am honored to preside, we elected the new Board:

Name PositionQUIM. Diego de Jesús Zamora González President ([email protected])QUIM. Alfonso Ramos Salazar: Vice-president ([email protected])QUIM. Héctor Pizano Larios Secretary ([email protected])QUIM. Rogelio Martín Navarro Vela Pro-secretaryQUIM. José Daniel Zapata Rodríguez Pro-secretaryQUIM. Sandra Elena Amarillas Valenzuela TreasurerQUIM. Guilleherminia Gutiérrez Ruelas ProtreasurerQUIM. Leticia Iturbide García Pro treasurerQUIM. Irene Torres Martínez Secretary of Continuing EducationQUIM. Myrna del Carmen Brito Perea President Honor and Justice Commission

Prof. Howard Morris speaking in Warsaw during the Opening Ceremony.

Dr Oswald Sontag (Germany) speaking on "Quality control" during a company workshop in Warsaw.


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IFCC Newsletter 10

SPANISH SOCIETY OF CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY (SEQC)

REPORT ON VII NATIONAL CONGRESS OF CLINICAL LABORATORYBY JOSEFINA MORA BRUGUÉS, LIAISON TO THE IFCC ENEWSLETTER

From October 23rd to October 25th 2013, Bilbao proudly hosted the VII National Congress of Clinical Laboratory, organized by the Spanish Society of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology (SEQC)

together with the Spanish Association of Medical Biopathology (AEBM) and the Spanish Association of Pharmaceutical Analysts (AEFA).The Congress venue was the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall in the very heart of Bilbao, only minutes away from the Guggenheim Museum. The Congress had a particularly active participation with more than 1500 delegates and the pleasing feature of a high number of young attendees. The high-quality scientific programme was distributed in four pre-congress courses, three plenary lectures, ten symposia, eight workshops, and two sessions of oral communications for the top ten posters, in addition to meetings for residents and tutors. As many as 938 digital posters were accepted and three poster awards were given to support the participation of young investigators. The pre-congress courses provided updates on a wide range of topics, such as anemia, secondary hypertension, neurological hereditary diseases and patient safety. The plenary lectures were delivered by three international experts, Elena Arzak, best world female chef

2012 who reviewed similarities between the kitchen and the laboratory, Professor Khosrow Adeli, Chair of IFCC Public Relations Committee (IFCC C-PR) who emphasized the idea of improving laboratory visibility and assessing the value of the laboratory in clinical outcomes, and Professor José Mª Mato who covered more theoretical aspects such as the metabolomic contribution to the clinic. The symposia and workshops covered the most recent scientific and technological advances in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine, focusing on the contributions of new biomarkers in ovarian cancer and in erythropoiesis, advances in the diagnosis of celiac diseases and familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and updates on urinocultive and endocrinologic diseases during pregnancy. The symposium on new organization models in clinical laboratories, led by experts in health economics, aroused a great deal of interest. The cost of the laboratory from the industry’s point of view as well as how these new organization models are applied in different Spanish autonomic communities were extensively debated.

The contribution of diagnostic companies was crucial to the success of the Congress. The commercial exhibition, which covered a total floor space of 1000 m2, attracted 26 enterprises, including one gold sponsor, three silver sponsors and five bronze sponsors.In short, three days of intense activity providing participants with a wonderful opportunity to learn and hear from experts, to develop and strengthen relationships with peers, and to take home enjoyable and valuable memories.

Left to right. Above; the SEQC stand and Professor Khosrow Adeli during the VII National Congress of Clinical Laboratory. Below: a view of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao; Professor Khosrow Adeli in the SEQC stand.

Left to right, above and below: snapshots of the commercial exhibition at the Euskalduna Conference Centre


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IFCC Newsletter 10ETHIOPIAN MEDICAL LABORATORY ASSOCIATION (EMLA)

QUALITY LABORATORY RESULT, INFLUENCES CLINICAL OUTCOMES: THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF ETHIOPIAN MEDICAL LABORATORY ASSOCIATION

GIZACHEW TADDESSE AKALU

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EMLAGeneral Assembly Meeting on June 8 – 9th 2013The General Assembly held its 18th annual conference since its establishment in 1964 at Ghion Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.. This conference was attended by representatives from several institutions including the federal democratic republic ministry of health of Ethiopia, EHNRI, FMHACA, ENAO and partner organizations.Manufacturers and distributors of IVD Medical Devices also attended as well as those representatives from sister associations, regional health bureaus, and academic institutions. This year’s conference approved several important items of business and future directions of the association. These include the launch of new project with EMA- CDC-EMLA: GH12-1217 Strengthening Human Resources for Health through increased Capacity , among all other activity and audit reports during the event. The scientific program had covered a wide range of topics (25 research presenta-tions) pertaining to Haematology, Medical Microbiology, Virology, Immunology, Pub-lic Health Epidemiology, Clinical Chemistry or Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Health Laboratory Management and Quality Assurance. Following this, there were sessions of panel discussion on four selected thematic areas:

Scope of Practice for Medical Laboratory professionals practicing in Ethio-pia, Medical Laboratory Accreditation Practices in Ethiopia: Emerging Opportu-nities, Challenges and Prospects,Continuing Professional Development and the Future Professional Licensing Human Resource for Health Project of Ethiopia.

The second day of the conference started with a state of the art lecture of Continuing Medical Education on a selected topic of “Quality Laboratory Results Influences Clinical Outcomes.” The general assembly elected Mr Asaye Birhanu as President and Mr Eyob Abera as Vice President with other Executive Board members to serve EMLA for the next years. The general assembly also endorsed the establishment, opening and appointment of the Executive Director to lead the office. All in all, it was a busy and productive year for the Association.EMLA Awarded USAID-PHSP of EthiopiaOne of the major highlight of the conference that engaged all participants was the annual award ceremony. EMLA’s Annual award aims at recognising professionals, partner organizations and well deserved individuals for their contribution to the field of medical laboratory service, the association and the professionals in general. Accordingly, the Private Health Sector Program of the USAID (USAID-PHSP) was selected to be awarded in this year’s conference. The USAID funded private health sector program implemented by Abt Associates works to increase demand and provision of high quality public health services in the private sector. It does this by building sustainable public private partnerships. It supports the Federal ministry of health and regional health bureaus to effectively partner with private health providers to deliver public health services, while improving the quality and affordability of these services to all Ethiopians. One of the major areas in PHSP’s work is the medical laboratory service. The program has worked with EMLA in improving quality of laboratory services. In recognition of its extraordinary

The guest of honour , Dr Addis Tamire, Director General, office of the minster at the Federal ministry of health presented the award to the representative of USAID-PHSP. The award ceremony concluded with the inaugural session of the conference. Participants visited the Exhibition and poster presentations during the coffee break that followed the opening ceremony.EMLA Conducted Training on Quality Laboratory Management System TrainingA Five Days training course entitled “Quality Laboratory management System” was conducted from 18 – 22 September 2013 at Embilta Hotel Addis Ababa. The training was organized by The Ethiopian Medical Laboratory Association (EMLA) in collaboration with The Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI). In this training 39 Trainees (Medical Laboratory professionals, quality officer or Laboratory Managers) working in government health care facilities from four emerging regions (Afar, Somali, Gambella and Benishangul Gumuz) and Federal Hospitals (Black Lion, St. Paul, St. Peter, Alert, and National Blood Bank) participated. This training was conducted based on the FMoH need.EMLA Conducted Workshop on CPD and Scope of PracticeA Two day consultative workshop has been conducted with the aim of Need Assessment of continuing Professional Development (CPD) and to finalize the draft document of the Scope of Practice for Medical Laboratory Professionals Practicing in Ethiopia, from 23 – 24, September 2013 at Addis Ababa. In this workshop 36 senior experts from all all regional reference laboratories and Universities participated.

G. T. Akalu

From left to right: Dr Addis Tamire, Dr Asfawossen, and Mr Gizachew Taddesse Akalu


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IFCC Newsletter 10

IFCC ROCHE TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS

REPORTS FROM THE YOUNG SCIENTISTS AWARDED IN 2013 THE 13TH ASIA-PACIFIC FEDERATION FOR CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY AND LABORATORY MEDICINE CONGRESS BALI, INDONESIA, 27-30 OCTOBER 2013

DR. ARCHANA SINGH

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES & GTB HOSPITAL DELHI INDIA

I have attended a few international conferences organised in various parts of India. The APFCB conference was my first, outside India, so naturally I was excited and scared at the same time. I travelled outside my country , alone , for the first time. The main attraction for me to attend this conference initially was association of APFCB with IFCC and the array of vast scientific topics this conference had and not to mention the place itself, Bali. So I arrived on the afternoon of 26th October afternoon, got to my hotel in Nusa Dua which was quite close and convenient for the venue. By evening I had registered myself and pasted my poster and came back tired. It was only by the next day 27th October, that I realised the grandeur of the conference, with so many brainstorming scientific presentations by eminent personalities simultaneously in four equally grand halls. How I wished to be present at all the halls. I got to meet Mr. Westgard Junior as well. The organisers wasted no time during lunch, by having spon-sored lunch sessions. After every session questions from the audience was encouraged. On evening of the 27th , I met fellow travel scholarship awar-dees from different countries along with the IFCC president Dr. Graham Beastall, Jocelyn Hicks, Dr. Morris, Dr. Bernard Gouget, Mrs Colli Lanzi and our sponsor from Roche. It was an informal gathering and a warm one. We clicked few photos and were given our certificates. I just felt special, cared for and at home. Thanks Mrs Colli -Lanzi for being so warm and patient with me in all our correspondence so far.By 28th, things were appearing cool and under control, as if you have become a part of this whole APFCB-IFCC family. There was a dance recital by two beautiful girls during tea time; they were imitating a bird, I felt like dancing with them. I also attended an important session on pre-eclampsia related to my research work the same day. In the whole process I made friends with an Indonesian lady, biochemists from Nepal, got to meet some old friends living in Singapore. During tea time I visited all the stalls, got my T-shirt, it was a nice fun way to visit all the stalls. I got to see some new

technology at the stalls by various companies and exchanged phone numbers and addresses for future development at my workplace. On 30th October I got to see so many dance forms of Indonesia at the cultural night, it was awesome. We also took part in learning the Balinese musical instrument-anklung. On 31st October I got my certificate of participation, and I saw a few places by taking a tour from the travel desk people, it was wonderful and safe, I got to see Balinese culture from a distance. I was lucky to have visited during Galungan-a Balinese festival, saw so many penjore-decorated bamboo poles lining every street and home. Now I am back home writing about the whole experience, feeling overwhelmed with the experience I have gained in terms of academics as well as the travel to a foreign land. I want to thank my sponsors again for giving me a chance to present my work and allowing me to participate in the conference. I would also like to congratulate the organisers for the success of this conference, and praise them for their hard work.

DR. NAMITA PARIKSHIT MAHALLE

DEENANATH MANGESHKAR HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTER, PUNE, INDIA

I am honored by receiving the IFCC Roche travel scholarship for attending the APFCB conference in Bali (ID). It was my dream come rue to attend this congress. It gave me knowledge about latest trends and advances in clinical chemistry. It helped me in improving the laboratory skills related to instrument, analysis and quality control. World -renowned scientists gave high quality lec-tures, which gave me an exceptional learning experience. It helped my understanding about CAP accreditation, lean management and laboratory safety issues. The APFCB Congress offered great information in clinical biochemistry and lab medicine that can be introduced to improve clinical lab services. I attended lectures related to total laboratory quality management, six sigma metrics and vitamin D/Calcium metabolism. Lecture on lean management by Elizabeth Frank and Pimpun Kitporka helped me decrease errors in my lab. Lectures by Akira Suwabe and Midori Ishibashi were exceptional, regarding recovery process after disaster and importance of point of care testing.There was also gathering at IFCC booth, which gave me an opportunity to meet Dr. Graham H Beastall, Professor Howard Morris and also my fellow travel scholarship winners. I was given the opportunity to share my research work at poster session. I gained knowledge of the research conducted in different countries. It also offered me the possibility to meet colleagues from many countries and to discuss with them different subjects in Clinical chemistry and share our experiences in research. This meeting helped me in gaining knowledge about conducting research in biochemistry with recent trends in laboratory. It was my first time outside India and I visited some places in Bali, which is an extremely beautiful place. All IFCC and Congress representative were very cooperative. Without IFCC Roche travel scholarship, I would not have been able to attend such a grand Conference. I would like to sincerely thank IFCC Roche scholar-ship committee for giving me opportunity and privilege to attend APFCB 2013 Conference. I would also like to offer my sincere gratefulness to Association of Clinical Biochemist of India (ACBI) for supporting my application.


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IFCC Newsletter 10

ANIMESH BARDOLOISITARAM BHARTIA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND RESEARCH,

NEW DELHI INDIAIt was a great privilege to receive the Roche IFCC travel scholar-ship to attend the XIIIth Asia Pacific Federation of Clinical Biochem-istry and Laboratory Medicine (APFCB) held at Nusa Dua , Bali, as a member of the Association of Medical Biochemist of India(AMBI). My particular interest was to attend lectures and interact through discussions on quality laboratory management especially to learn how in the world, laboratories have taken in matters of lean or sigma management. The lectures I attended were really fruitful. Thus, the scholarship has not only provided me the opportunity to exchange views with different members of the biochemist family in an international forum but also helped me carry home inspirations to initiate positive contributions to my patient care services. These interactions have allowed me to understand the functioning of the laboratories outside the Indian perspective and in an international vision-to mention a few: the special interaction on Six sigma and lean management, Lab design , interaction with clinicians , critical values among the few. Being the head of a laboratory in India, the congress has taught me about strategic laboratory planning. At the same time , I would like to thank IFCC & Roche for the scholarship , as it provided me the stage to present the 1st International presentation of my work on the use of sigma in IQC . I was enthralled that the same topic was talked about by Mr .Sten Westgard and it really gave me the opportunity to discuss and allay my doubts on six sigma and lean management. At this juncture , I would like to express my appreciation to the organizing committee of APFCB for making the congress a great success. The plenary sessions, lunch symposium, oral and poster presentation were systematically organized for and I feel that myself and other participants were really at ease throughout the event.

Obviously the award ceremony organized by IFCC on 28th October with an evening tea meeting with the IFCC took our breath away. Special thanks to Ms. Silvia Colli-Lanzi for being so supportive all throughout the process.

ARLEEN SURYATENGGARA

CIPTO MANGUNKUSUMO HOSPITAL JAKARTA INDONESIA

Attending the 13th APFCB congress in Bali has been a wonderful experience for me. The topics were based on up-to-datedaily laboratory practice and were delivered by experts on those fields. One interesting topic for me was communication between the lab and clinicians. This topic was very practical for my daily work, since I and most probably other laboratory practicioners have faced miscommunication with the clinicians. The presentation empha-sized two basic things in laboratory diagnostics, i.e. short turn-around-time and valid result. However, laboratory specialist also need to have certain knowledgeabout clinical conditions that can interfere with the lab result- this should be discussed with the clinician. One other particular topic that attracted my attention was Setting Up Your Laboratory’s Critical Results List. This topic was quite practical for me. It’s true that failure to communicate critical results could lead to life threatening situations. However, there’s a need to

discuss between laboratory specialists and clinicians about what critical results should be notified. This presentation also gave examples from some countries on systems used to notify those critical results. This presentation reminded me to have a good relationship with our fellow clinicians, and to spare some quality time to sit together and discuss the best way of dealing with critical lab results, in order to ensure better patient care. I was also quite taken by the IFCC distance learning. The speak-ers introduced some websites that are very useful as a reference in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine, as well as for e-learning. The methods are very convenient to ensure that continu-ing education could be done anywhere, despite your location. It motivated me to keeping pace with the recent developments through IFCC-based websites. Besides academic things, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet new colleagues from other countries. We had a good conversations and discussions during the conference. We also had the chance to relax for a while at the cultural night, having mouth-watering dinner while watching cultural performances in a beautiful surrounding.Thank you so much to the IFCC for supporting me to have this wonderful experience!!

DR GRACE ATIENO MIDIGO, UNIT OF CLINICAL CHEMISTRY, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN PATHOLO-GY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVER-

SITY OF NAIROBI.I was fortunate to receive sponsorship from Roche/IFCC travel scholarship to attend the APFCB 2013, 13th Asian-Pacific Feder-ation Congress of Clinical Biochemistry in Bali 27-30 October 2013.This travel scholarship took care of travel, accommodation and conference registration.At the conference I was privileged to learn a lot of things. We looked at interesting topics such as Laboratory management whereby we looked at Laboratory Errors such as pre-pre-analyti-cal, pre-analytical, analytical and post analytical errors. We also looked at Laboratory Accreditation and how some members have managed to get their laboratories accredited with different bodies. We also had a chance to look at Lipid and Glucose metabolism, new cardiac markers that are emerging in the market among others. Above all it was interesting to look at molecular diagnostic and its advances in medicine. We saw some interesting papers written by Prof. Dennis Lo on new developments in the use of Plasma Nucleic Acids as tumor markers among others. I managed to participate in exhibition sessions, I also had a poster presenta-tion on; Blood Specimen Rejection at Kenyatta National Hospital Biochemistry Laboratory, which was awarded a star.I would like to take this opportunity to thank International Federa-tion of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine for giving me this opportunity to attend 13th Asia Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine Congress which was an eye opener of where clinical chemistry is in the world of science. I also attained new skills especially in molecular diagnostics. I intend to share my experience with my colleges and encourage them to attend such congress so that we can improve Africa as a continent and hold such congresses in future in Africa.


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IFCC Newsletter 10

SANTOSH UPADHYAYA KAFLE

B.P KOIRALA INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCES, DHARAN - NEPAL

The conference was wonderful. I found myself gaining new infor-mation which I shall definitely add to my experience in my country. Attending this MEGA EVENT was a precious experience that al-lowed me to know more depth about the theme and objectives of the IFCC.I am thankful to the IFCC for launching the programs that focus on advancing laboratories in developing countries. We would like to see more such programs that are encouraged in the developing countries.LONG LIVE IFCC.

ACCOUNT OF MY EXPERIENCESHEU KADIRI RAHAMON,

IMMUNOLOGY UNIT, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL PATHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, NIGERIA.

The memory of the just concluded 13th APFCB Congress will continue to linger on in my memory. Aside from being my first International exposure, the perfect organization of the event really humbled me.The Congress enabled me to learn different aspects of Laboratory Medicine from renowned authorities in the field of clinical biochem-istry and laboratory Medicine. I was able to update my knowledge on laboratory management, quality assurance, data interpretation, advances in automation and more importantly, inflammation and metabolic disorders. On my first day (28/10/2013), I attended the following lectures:

1. Managing laboratory informatics, middleware and process control.

2. New integrated solution for Chemistry and Chemilumines-cence tests.

3. Harmonization in lipid and glucose tests.4. Lipoprotein as risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.5. Diabetes and lipids: Data interpretation.6. Trends in lipoprotein oxidation biomarkers for CVD risk.7. Inflammation as a link between obesity and metabolic disor-

der.8. Metabolic syndrome and PCOS

At about 17:00, I left for IFCC booth to attend a short meeting organized by IFCC. There, I had the privilege to meet with the IFCC President (Professor Graham Beastall), Professor Jocelyn Hicks, Professor Morris and the wonderful Staff of IFCC Office (Ms. Silvia Colli-Lanzi and Ms. Paola Bramati). Also, all the IFCC Travel Schol-arship recipients were introduced to one another and thereafter, Professor Hicks presented certificate of award to each recipient.

On day 2, the following lectures were attended:1. Lean and six sigma metrics; measuring quality to manage

quality2. Sigma-metrics for advancing quality3. New developments in the use of plasma nucleic acids as

tumor markers4. New trends in molecular diagnostic technologies

5. miRNAs as potential biomarkers for hepatocellular car-cinoma.

At 16:00, I went for my poster presentation where I had fruitful deliberation with a couple of participants from different parts of the world. With all humility, I am glad to let you know that my poster was among the few selected for the best poster award.

Day 3 heralded different interesting lectures among which were:1. Pattern recognition receptors of eosinophils and baso-

phils: implications in allergic inflammation.2. Laboratory advances in the diagnosis of Systemic Lu-

pus Erythematosus (SLE)3. Study of airway injury caused by gunpower smog.4. A new frontier in automation5. Optimizing Au58006. Urinalysis automation7. Molecular aspect for diagnostic MDR-TB8. Diagnosis and prognosis biomarker of sepsis in critical

care unit9. The emergence of multi-drug resistant microorganisms

infection in health care facilities.This last day was an important one as I had a very productive discussion with Dr. Martina Olejarova from Czech Republic.CULTURAL NIGHTThe package and display of various cultural activities at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana was outstanding. It enabled me to discuss some research work with my friend from Nepal. I en-joyed every melody of the night especially, the Angklung music instrument class. Ever since I returned to Nigeria, the Angklung instrument has been the delight of my son as he plays with it whenever he returns from school.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTI would like to express appreciation to the following people/Societies:1. Dr. Mabel Charles-Davies; for her encouraging words, care, support and for counting me worthy of being nominated for the IFCC Travel Scholarship award.2. IFCC; for the Scholarship Award.3. My supervisor, Professor OG Arinola; for his encourage-ment and for allowing me to attend the Congress.4. Professor AB Okesina (ACCN President) and Professor EO Agbedana (ACCN Treasurer); for lending me ACCN money to cover my flight and accommodation charges.5. Dr. OM Akinosun; for his support in facilitating the re-lease of the ACCN fund6. Professor Leslie Lai, Mr. Krist Haksa, Ms. Silvia Colli-Lanzi, Ms. Paola Bramati and Ms. Silvia Cattaneo; for the won-derful roles played in ensuring that I attend the Congress and for helping out in solving my accommodation problem. I am really honoured to be associated with you all.7. My wonderful teacher, Dr. K.S. Akinlade. His contribu-tion towards making my traveling a reality was immeasurable.


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IFCC Newsletter 10

He kindly provided about $568.21 (N85,000 + £20) to process my International Passport, NDLEA clearance, Police Report, Indone-sian Visa and local transport between Ibadan and Abuja. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have been able to utilize the IFCC scholarship without his moral and financial support. Forever, I am indebted to you, Sir.

Thank you all.

HOANG THI THANH HUYEN

HAIPHONG MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

1. What is APFCB conference:The APFCB is a federation of 16 national and area associations of clinical biochemistry and laboratory medicine in the Asia-Pacific region who are also IFCC members.This conference is held every three years and is the opportunity for excellent scientific presentations from all over the globe, espe-cially for researchers from Asia-Pacific to gather share their expe-rience on Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.The 13th Asia-Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine Congress was organized in the wonderful island of Bali, Indonesia from 27th till 30th October 2013.

2. What are the main topics of the conference:About hundred excellent presentations belong to these following topics:+ Predictive, Personalized, Preventive and Participatory Medicine

Age and Sex Related Testing Prenatal Screening Paediatric Laboratory Medicine Women Laboratory MedicineAging Laboratory Medicine

+ Molecular Diagnostics GPL and QC in Molecular Diagnostics Pharmacogenomics Genetic Testing Molecular Techniques Cervical Cancer Testing

+ Infectious Diseases Influenza Testing Hepatitis Testing Tuberculosis Testing Dengue Testing HIV Testing

+ Stem-cell and Laboratory Medicine+ Metabolic, Cardiac and Kidney Diseases

Vitamin D and Diseases Cardiac and Kidney Biomarkers Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (e-GFR) Application

+ Autoimmune Diseases+ Laboratory Management

Patient Safety Laboratory Design Laboratory Information System (LIS) Integrated Diagnostics Interpretative Comments in Laboratory Results

3. What I have gained:

Professional Organization: The conference was well-organized to offer the participants a general and systematic view on APFCB.The reports: Diversified and various research presentations on well prepared and studied issues offered the participants valuable knowledge that help generate new ideas of further research espe-cially for those of young researchers.The complicated techniques being applied in medical laboratories such as molecular techniques, genetic techniques, HPLC.The es-sential elements of laboratory quality management system: Patient focus, LIS, QC, EQA.

MULEMBA SAMUTELA

UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA, LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

The 13th APFCB 2013 Congress was the first International confer-ence I attended. I must commend the organisers as it was very well organised. The opening ceremony was grand. The call for the scientists to rise to the challenge to come up with reference ranges for the Asian Pacific region in the key note by the Indonesian Minister of Health was one that made me wish for the same for my country Zambia and indeed for Africa. Looking forward to all the scientific presentations and learning that was to happen at the conference, the advice from the president of IFCC that the confer-ence was not only for learning but also social interactions was a timely reminder to make time to socialise and mingle with the delegates as well as the local people. I summarise my experience in two ways. Firstly it was very educative and inspiring professional-ly. It was great to learn from both the seasoned and young scientist. I had the chance to learn new things, note what to unlearn and see the opportunities for improvement in the conduct of laboratory medicine. It was very encouraging to see many women participate in the conference. Secondly I got to learn about the culture of Bali and Indonesia in general. I learnt about the different cultures of some of the delegates from other countries too. I would like to thank the IFCC for granting me the travel scholarship. It is my sincere hope that they will continue to grant such scholarships to young scientists that will enable them to be exposed. I would also like to thank the Biomedical Society of Zambia who facilitated the applica-tion for the scholarship.

JULIO URIZAR

HOSPITAL SAN JUAN DE DIOS, TARIJA, BOLIVIA

Asistir a COLABIOCLI en Lima-Perú fue una experiencia inolvida-ble y muy gratificante.Me complació ver a más de 500 profesionales y amigos de toda Latinoamérica reunidos para fortalecer los lazos de hermandad de nuestros países y discutir sobre los grandes desafíos del siglo XXI.Fue una gran motivación escuchar a investigadores de renombre internacional como el Dr. James Wesgart y otros, sobre todos los esfuerzos que realizan de forma desinteresada a favor de mejorar los conocimientos sobre distintas patologías que inciden en la calidad de vida de nuestros pueblos y el mundo. Todo este esfuerzo ha dado frutos expresados en la participación de más de 50 Poster sobre trabajos de investigación de jóvenes científicos que a pesar de las dificultades económicas y hasta políticas siguen poniendo en alto al profesional del laboratorio clínico.


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IFCC Newsletter 10

Este evento permitió hablar y compartir experiencias sobre aspectos actuales muy importantes como el Aseguramiento de la calidad, la seguridad del paciente y la armonización de la currícula del profesional del Laboratorio Clínico a nivel Latino americano lo que permitirá un ejercicio profesional en toda la región y esta visión es compartida por la COLABIOCLI quien lidera las iniciativas a nivel Institucional y gubernamental para lograr este gran desafío.También fue una gran satisfacción ver que existe una gran unidad entre diversas organizaciones como AEFA de España y la Fundación de Bioquímica Argentina cuya participación en este encuentro demuestra que sólo trabajando de manera conjunta entre todas las instituciones vinculadas a la salud se lograra hacer frente a las problemáticas actuales.Las empresas distribuidoras de equipamiento de laboratorios no quedaron indiferentes en este gran evento.Su participación mostro el gran avance tecnológico del que se dispone en equipos y una gama de reactivos para optimizar esfuerzos y recursos de tal forma de mejorar la prevención, diagnóstico y seguimiento de pacientes que adolecen de alguna patología para brindar una respuesta oportuna con resultados confiables y de calidad.Finalmente debo agradecer a IFCC por haberme brindado esta gran oportunidad de participar en un evento de tan grande magnitud y de una excelente organización, a través de esta beca para jóvenes científicos la cual espero continúe ofreciéndose para que siga beneficiando a otros profesionales que de seguro aportara al desarrollo del conocimiento científico y la mejora de la salud.

Participation in COLABIOCLI in Lima-Peru was a memorable and rewarding experience. I was pleased to see more than 500 professionals and friends gathered throughout Latin America to strengthen ties of friendship between our countries and discuss the major challenges of the XXI century.

It was a great motivation to listen to internationally renowned researchers such as Dr. James Westgard and others on all efforts as volunteers in favour of improving knowledge about various diseases that affect the quality of life of our people and the world. All these efforts have borne fruit expressed in the participation of more than 50 research presentations from young scientists who despite economic difficulties and policies continue to enhance the clinical laboratory profession.

This event allowed us to talk and share experiences on important current issues such as quality assurance, patient safety and harmonization of curricula Clinical Laboratory Professional Latin American level allowing professional practice across the region and this view is shared by the COLABIOCLI who led initiatives at institutional and governmental level to achieve this challenge.It was also a great satisfaction to see that there is a great unity among various organizations such as AEFA of Spain and Argenti-na Biochemistry Foundation whose participation in this meeting shows that only by working together across all health-related institutions will be able to solve the current problems .The distributors of laboratory equipment were not indifferent to this

great even too. Their participation showed the technological breakthroughs that are available in a range of equipment and reagents to optimize efforts and resources so as to improve the prevention, diagnosis and monitoring of patients suffering from some pathology and to provide a timely response with reliable and quality results .Finally, I must thank IFCC for giving me this great opportunity to participate in an event of such great magnitude and excellent

IFCC WELCOMES TWO NEW CORPORATE MEMBERSADX NEUROSCIENCES

ADx NeuroSciences is a R&D company committed to improving the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease & dementia. The company identifies and develops novel

biomarkers for accurate diagnosis and the effective treatment and follow-up of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s, Parkin-son’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Web site: www.adxneurosciences.comContact: Dr. Vanderstichele HugoDirector Assay Development Technologiepark 49052, Zwijnaarde - Belgium

SNIBE CO., LTD (SHENZHEN NEW INDUSTRIES BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING)

As a leading company in med-ical equipment field in China, since 1995, we started the re-

search & development on immunology solution and we are always keeping our focus on it. With this strategy, we are dedi-cated to develop, manufacture and now we are capable of providing an extensive range of automated immunoassay solu-tions to hospitals, medical centres, clinical laboratories etc.

The successful launch of automated chemiluminescence immu-noassay system, MAGLUMI series, is a great milestone of SNIBE’s product development. Based on flash chemilumines-cence and microbead separation technology, MAGLUMI system provides a comprehensive test menu and variety analyzers as a complete solution for laboratories’ immunoassay demands. A module system, including ISE, biochemistry and immunoassay, is going to be launched soon. It will be our next great step of extending immunoassay to the IVD area.

Website: www.snibe.com


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IFCC Newsletter 10

Calendar of IFCC Congresses/Conferences and Regional Federations

2014 Jun 20-22 XIII International Congress of Pediatric Laboratory Medicine Istanbul, TR

Jun 22 IFCC TF-POCT Satellite Meeting Istanbul 2014 "PoCT Enabling Patient-Centred Care"

Istanbul, TR

Sep 19-21 UNIPATH 2014: 54th annual international congress of the Federa-tion of South African Societies of Pathology

Pretoria, ZA

Jun 22-26 WorldLab 2014 - 22nd International Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laborato-ry Medicine

Istanbul, TR

2015 Jun 21-25 EuroMedLab 2015 - 21th IFCC-EFLM European Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

Paris, FR

Oct 29-31 COLABIOCLI 2015 - XXII Congreso Latinoamericano de Bioquímica Clinica Quito, EC

Nov ArabMedLab 2015 - 14th Arab Congress of Clinical Biology (AFCB) Khartoum, SD

2017 Oct WorldLab 2017 - 23rd International Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

Durban, ZA

Calendar of events with IFCC auspices

2014Feb 6-7 Labquality Days Helsinki, FI

May 2-4 XII Ecuadorian Congress and VIII Clinical Biochemistry Interna-tional Congress

Guayaquil, ECI

May 26-30 Diagnostic Hands on Training Molecular Diagnostic Workshop Harare, ZW

May 28-31 8th Conference of Romanian Association of Medical Laboratories (RAML)

Sibiu, RO

June 15-19 Euromit 2014 - International Meeting on Mitochondrial Pathology Tampere, FI

Sep 18-20 XII Baltic Congress in Laboratory Medicine (BALM) Riga, LV

Sep 24-27 7th Santorini Conference "Systems Medicine Personalized Health and Therapy"

Santorini, GR

Nov 24-25 1st EFLM Strategic Conference "Defining analytical performance goals - 15 years after the Stockholm Conference"s

Milan, IT

2015May 20-24 Second World Congress on Water Channel Proteins (Aquaporins

and Relatives) Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Discovery of the First Water Channel Protein

Cluj-Napoca, RO


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